Turkey calls, whatcha carry ?

[sliverpicker]

Back in the ole days I used to just have a mouth call and my old Lynch box call. Now days I seem to pack an arsenal of various calls with me. I usually get the birds attention with a friction call of some kind, then switch to a mouth call when a tom is coming and needs a little coaxing. Never called in a tom with a wingbone, but plan on giving it an honest try this spring! You guys that have NEW wingone yelpers been practing? Let's hear/see what you take into the spring woods. Here's most of what goes in my vest

[Mark Vickers]

I've got one of those groovy handmade wingbone calls that I traded for with a nice guy here on Ifish. I hope he's offering the same deal this year.

That said, I sound pretty lame with it. I think I'd be more effective calling in coyotes. Lessons?

I've been working hard on learning the mouth call. Like most things, it takes practice, but at this point, I'm feeling confident enough in it that I'll hunt with it this spring instead of using the pot/peg.

[nitrobass]

It seems like I go the opposite direction, carrying fewer and fewer each year. I used to carry a trusty Lynch box call that did good work for me until I rolled over on it trying to get a shot at a gobbler and busted it. It was always a hassle keeping it quiet and dry so now I dont carry one. I carry a quaker boy slate call that I've had forever - that can be really loud if necessary. Besides that its all mouth calls. I think I'm just too lazy to want to reach into my vest and dig out a call when I have one I can carry in my mouth.

For locater calls I carry a crow call but 9 times out of 10 I use a goose call to get toms to answer - especially early in the mornings.

I've never owned a wingbone but someday might try it. Years ago I could make pretty good turkey sounds with a straw or a pen.

[sliverpicker]

Mark...to tell you the truth, I suck at using a wingbone(no pun intended). But now and then I can get some really sweet sounding yelps out of them. I mess with the winter flocks at White River, the toms and jakes think it sounds mighty fine and answer it every time!

Nitro...save me those wings this spring and I'll build you a personalized wingbone. I figured out a way to attach a lanyard without it slipping off. I wrap the bone with some sinew until it makes a ridge, then I thread on a couple of wooden beads to snug the leather thong down tight against the bone.



The birds I hunt receive alot of pressure, so a hunter has to be prepared and switch calls to try find a different sound that pops their cork! I know what you mean about the hassle of digging for calls, plus the weight of carrying all the gear by the time I add water, energy bars, apple, camera, and extra shells. I'd swear my turkey vest outweighs my elk pack!

[nitrobass]

That I can do! Thats a gorgeous call in the picture.

[Limbhanger]

2 Box calls, 2 slates, 1 glass, 3 different strikers, a few custom diaphrams, crow, hawk. Even though I use only a few 90% of the time you never know when it will take one of the odd balls to get one to talk on a lock jaw kind of day.
Cant wait to hear that first gobble.......

[Gun Rod Bow]

Black Widow Slate, Carbon Striker, Quaker Boy mouth calls, and an old green box call that I keep going back to. I'd like to look into some new box calls.

I messed with some gobbler calls last year, but found I can shock a gobble better by doing my old funny "gobble on the box call" routine

I've still got a bunch of wings in my freezer for yah SP.

[Ras]

You can call turkeys :whazzup: I just sneak-up on 'em and pull a tail feather from behind when they fan

That being said: box, slate, yelper, 3-4 reeds, crow call, and a couple of other I can't usually find in my vest . 2 hen and a jake dekes too.

Sliver, you need to hook-me-up with that guy that does the wingbones . Would love to have one for no other reason than to have one.

How many days left? I better start getting in shape

Ras

[oregonoutdoors]

I love my Woods Wise Mystic Hen. It has a Teflon coating or something that allows it to work when wet. This has saved a couple of rainy day hunts, and NO CHALK.


For closing the deal I use a Jones small bull diaphragm. I lost my turkey diaphragm one morning and pulled it out of my fanny pack. Have been using them ever since.

[SalmonJeff]

the older wooden crow call by lohman is the best crow call in the world !! I have one that is years old and was lost in the woods and then rescued weeks later that I would not sell for 100 bucks! that and a power crystal slate and a wood striker!

oh yeah practice practice practice!! Ihave been hunting turkeys for over 10 years now and I still practice all the time and try to get it dialed in that much more. It will pay off in the end. Soon roosted will be roasted

[BrianMaguire]

I carry an array of mouth diaphrams, a 3 way slate and a box, and now a bone yelper thanks to Silverpicker.

[Quackhead]

I carry a couple mouth calls, primos "The Freak" slate, and a quaker boy clover box call. I do a lot of my calling with the box call. When they start to close the distance I switch to the mouth and freak. Although sometimes I have to continue using the box call in close because that is what fires them up. That pitch just drives them nutts.
Can't wait till turkey season!

[sliverpicker]

the older wooden crow call by lohman is the best crow call in the world !!

I had an old Lohman crow call years ago and agree about it being one of the best locator's! But I let one of my son's practice calling crow's out in the yard and he pulled it apart and messed up the reed. :depressed:

I used to carry my elk grunt tube with and bugle to get a shock gobble, but I don't anymore.

Wish I could imitate this, THUNDER! One time on the day before opening day a thunderstorm rolled along the foothills of Wasco County, whenever the thunder would rumble EVERY tom in the woods would gobble.

quackhead...is the "Freak" the call you strap to your leg?

[BrianMaguire]

I used to carry my elk grunt tube with and bugle to get a shock gobble, but I don't anymore.

I did this last year and a bunch of elk repsonded, LOL.

[oregonoutdoors]

I did this last year and a bunch of elk repsonded, LOL.

I was stalking some birds last year and ended up in the middle of a herd of elk.

[Gun Rod Bow]

I was stalking some birds last year and ended up in the middle of a herd of elk.

Me too.

[Hunt'nFish]

Sliverpicker,
I carry about as much crud as you....almost!
But my "go to" calls are my mouth calls and my crow call.
Most of the time my mouth call is just a double reed elk call. I also buy a fresh 3-pk of turkey calls every season and use them as well, my favorite out of them is the split-V Raspy Hen. Theirs also a cutter that I like real well but I can't remember who makes it (I think Jim Carlton) and I haven't found another since. But mainly I use whichever sounds right to me at the time. Mouth calls change tone with use and I'm always switching back & forth to let them "rest". The more mouth calls the better! I can usually always find one that sounds just a little better than the next guy out there. I also carry a shok-gobble shaker for locating and working them up over jake on hen setups.

I also carry a box as well, Quaker I think, but I don't use it much. Hard to make all the purs and pops that I like.

I also carry a double sided slate (glass & alum) and a half dozen strikers; cherry, oak, walnut, a couple graphites and one acyrilic. That give me about 12 differant sounds to choose from. I really like the slate but I go to the mouth call because thier hands free for shooting. However when we tag-team them I'll stick to the slate since I'm not shooting.

Speaking of which how many of you are tag-teaming them??
Tag teaming is: two guys, one caller and one shooter. Shooter is a few yards in front and to the side of the caller. Purpose is to pull the birds attention on the caller and decoy and off the position of the shooter. Typically the bird is pulled through or by the shooters position and he has a better chance of getting a shot.
Hunt'nFish

[sliverpicker]

That Quaker Boy mini Boat Paddle is really a sweet box, the tom's really like the raspiness when it play's a tune!

IMHO...a slate is the most true sounding turkey call made! I just haven't figured out how to gobble with it yet!

My favorite mouth reed is the "BUTSKI cuttin' light 3".

A great place to browse for calls is at Midwest Turkey Call, I get their catolog and they do have a website. They carry everything from production calls like Knight&Hale, Primos, H.S.Strut, etc. to custom slates and box calls.

sp

[Opportunist]

Oregon Outdoors, I use the same box call woodswise mystic hen, awesome call. The guy who showed me the call picked his up and dunked it in a 5 gallon bucket of water pulled it out and it sounded great. I've loaned it out to a couple of different buddies and when they got back from their trips they bought their own. They were amazed when they got caught in a downpour while working a tom that it didn't fail like alot of box and slate calls will.

[OuterLimits]

Silverpicker, you got a great collection of calls. I have all of those except the wingbone call. They all work. Nice to have a different array of tones in the arsenal!!